As This Train Goes
by BNVshark
Summary: A what-if version of Edventure of the Thousand Year Door. What if Sarah was the legendary hero? What if Edd and the others weren't charged with collecting the crystal stars? Contains spoilers for the fic and the game.
1. Introduction

**Author's Note:** _Okay, this is a what-if story of another fic, starring Sarah._

_Obviously, this is heavily inspired by legendofzeldarosks' Edventure of the Thousand Year Door. Think of this fic as a retelling of it, if you will. Like the original story I intend for this fic to have lots and lots of story twists._

_So, without further ado, please sit back and enjoy!_

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><p>"<em>Oh dear…" some voice called out.<em>

_Sarah couldn't see anything, though she knew that her eyes were wide open._

"_Dear, can you hear me?"_

"_Y-yeah, but I can't see. I'm blind! Where am I? Who are you?"_

"_We're on the Excess Express, I'm its conductor. Who are you, where are you from, are your parents around, why is there a puddle of water around you?"_

"_I-I don't know…"_

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><p>She eventually regained her eyesight after a few hours and was offered a home and a job aboard the train which she later learned was a like a traveling hotel. Hopefully she could someday scrape together enough money to leave the train and travel the world.<p>

Today was just another ordinary day for the red-head. First, at the crack of dawn she had to vacuum all the rugs, sweep the floors in the kitchen, and make sure that all the common guest areas were neat, clean, and tidy. Then, once all the guests were up and out of their cabins she had to clean all the rooms in her designated section of the train. Finally at dinner-time she had to take the role of a waitress. Sure, it was tough, daunting work. And sure, some of the guests were less then welcoming to the girl, but she felt she had to show her gratitude to the Conductor and the rest of the Excess Express staff.

By the time she was done with her enormous workload she was ready to plop down onto her bed and sleep the night away, but she didn't. She always had energy to play a quick game of cards with her fellow staff members late at night; so, after changing into her regular street clothes she walked to the abandoned dining hall and sat at the table where her two friends were sitting. They all turned to her and smiled; with her they were ready to start their game.

As usual, Sarah sat next to her friend, Wait T. This girl wasn't human and was a member of the Toad race, a group of small mushroom like people; she had a large purple spotted bulb on top of her head with long, purple pig tails sticking out. "Sarah, are…"

"You ready to…"

"Play some cards?"

Sarah had noticed the girl's abnormal matter of speaking. She had a habit of speaking only three syllables of a sentence before taking a quick break and continuing what she was saying. It was weird, and frankly it ticked her off the first time they met, she soon grew accustomed to it however and they became best friends.

"Yeah, sure, what're we playing today?" She looked at the rather large fish on the other side of the table. He wore a large, glistening white chef's hat and in his hand (fin?) he proudly held a stainless spatula. He was of the Cheep-Cheep race, a group of bloated fish who were able to dwell on land. This one was named Chef Shimi.

"I don't know, how about Black Jack?" He reached into his pocket and threw out a deck of cards.

"Okay," Sarah snatched away the cards and began dealing them, each of the three receiving two cards.

It was a tough life, and she hadn't regained her memory, but she was happy.

Her only wish was that she could stay like this forever. Unfortunately forever is a long time and wishes have a habit of not coming true, as she was soon to find out


	2. A Robbery in Poshley Heights!

**Author's Note:** _This is the official start of Sarah's adventure, I know it's a little slow but the job of this chapter was simply to help advance the storyline. Anyway, enjoy!_

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><p>Sarah waited impatiently as she watched the train slowly halt to a stop at a bright, rich town on a tall mountain named Poshley Heights. Nearly everyone in the town was well-off and the town clearly reflected their high status.<p>

The streets were of polished white marble, not a crack nor a blemish could be seen in the shiny white stone. The streets, which were aligned with fancy carriages and foreign cars, were made of specially carved brick made specifically for the town. Next Sarah stared at a few of the buildings, one of which was a hotel. This building towered over the town and was clearly the tallest and most magnificent building she had ever seen in the three weeks she had been working for the Excess Express. On the opposite side of the town was a much, much wider building, it was only about half as tall, though its circumference covered at least a quarter of the town.

"Wow," she stared at the sights as she walked off the train and onto the platform. "I can't believe how nice everything looks." She began to stroll off the boarding station and into the town. Directly in front of her she saw a group of small, stubby, men dressed in red suits with giant X's and white masks with protective goggles. They were heading towards the wide building near the edge of the town, she paid them little mind and continued on her merry way.

She eventually stopped at a fountain near the center of town. She leaned over the stone wall that held the water in and looked at her reflection, young and curious. "I still don't remember anything," her hand touched the water, slightly distorting her image. Suddenly she felt herself topple into the water. Angrily, she jumped out and looked at the person who shoved her. Not too far away she saw the same small robed men from earlier, the one who pushed her glanced back at her and even though his face was masked she could tell that he was laughing. "Wait up," she charged towards the man and landed a kick, forcing him to fall down onto the ground, landing on his face.

"D-dude," one of the other similarly clothed men said as he nudged one of his other comrades. "Jon's about to get beaten up by a girl."

"Hey," Sarah barked at the fallen man.

He didn't answer and Sarah picked him up began shaking him viciously. "Answer me you idiot!"

"Uh, shouldn't we help," one of the men questioned.

"N-no dude, I think, um, I think we're good." This one continued to watch the spectacle unfold. He stared in awe at the girl as she pummeled the other man to a pulp. He took special notice of her grace, her beauty, the special way she used her fists to beat the man mercilessly. It pained him to say it, but it was beautiful at its most primitive state. "Wow,"

"Dave, Dave, what are you doing? Let's go!" The man next to him tried to snap Dave out of his daze, waving his hand in front of his goggles.

Once Sarah was done torturing the man she turned her attention to the group. "Okay, who wants some," she said, angrily wringing out her hair.

The men stepped back, all except Dave who took a pounding to the face, eventually falling down with a thud.

A large, round, man stepped up front, effortlessly pushing the other small men to the side. He had a colossal, purple Viking's hat on his head with a large red beard. He too had a pair of round goggles and, on his black and purple jumpsuit, a large white X could be seen. Oddly he had a long, battered, red cape that trailed behind him, ending midway down his plump backside. "What's going on here?" He inquired, looking at the smaller men who seemed to be his minions. "Did you guys get the crystal star?"

"Y-Yeah, dude, I mean sir, I mean Sir Lord Crump, dude."

"Okay, then why are you, the X-Nauts, idly standing here with a little girl?"

"Little?" Sarah angrily gritted her teeth.

"Dude, s-she beat up Jon and Dave!" The X-Naut pointed to the two fallen soldiers at Sarah's feet.

"So," Lord Crump slowly walked towards the girl, eyeing her meticulously. "Did you beat up these guys all by yourself, buh huh huh?" He said to her in a condescending tone. He next began to pinch her cheeks. "Oh, you're so-"

"Stop it," Sarah threw a punch at the man but he managed to block the move with an open palm. Without missing a beat he landed a left hook on the girl, sending her careening away. Next he launched a kick at her; this blow sent her trailing back in pain.

Sarah saw Lord Crump jump up high into the air, preparing to land on her, but she dodged the man's body slam with a swift movement. She ran forward, attempting to land a hit but the man dodged it. How could a man so big be so quick?

He swung at the girl again, but before the attack could connect with Sarah's body a small, swift figure blocked the attack the landed another to the man, sending him flying back.

"No way," one of the X-Nauts exclaimed.

"Crud," Lord Crump said with anger. "Let's split." He pulled out a couple of black balls from his pocket and flung them at the ground. Black smoke instantly appeared, when it cleared Lord Crump and his minions were gone.

"What was that about?" Sarah looked at the figure that had just saved her; he was a Toad about her height who wore a white, cotton, Karate Gi.

"Those jerks pushed me into the fountain, and then that fat jerk tried to fight me!" She began to run her fingers through her hair to straighten it again. "I'm all wet now."

"Well," the Toad smiled, showing his pearly whites. "I saved you; I guess that means I'm a hero, right?"

Sarah simply stared at the Toad with an annoyed looked. "I didn't need your help."

The Toad looked like he was about to say something but was interrupted by a small, blue penguin who marched between the two, pointing his magnifying glass to the ground inquisitively before standing up straight, and readjusting his detective hat. He cleared his throat and stared at the two, though he didn't speak. Instead he fixed his red bowtie and pulled out a pipe from his plaid satchel.

"Well," Sarah motioned her hands for him to speak.

"As, I was saying, my superior detective skills have led me," he walked a few more steps, stopping where the X-Nauts had dropped the smoke bombs. "Here, and so the case of 'The Missing Garnet Star and the Thieves who Stole it' continues. Yes, I rather like that name," he lifted up his pipe and began to smoke it, a questioning look on his face

"Um…" the Toad spoke up. "What,"

"Alright, I need names." He used his free flipper to point at the two.

"Sarah,"

"Little T."

"A-ha, prime suspect numbers one and two."

"Listen bub, I didn't steal your star! I got attacked by those X-Naut jerks for crying out loud!"

"A likely story," the Penguin detective then looked at the Toad. "And you, what were you doing?"

"I, uh, I was fighting."

"A,ha," He began to pace back and forth, mumbling gibberish to himself before reverting his attention to Sarah. Once again he simply stared at her suspiciously.

Sarah had had enough of this by now and began to walk back to the train.

"Oh, in a rush to get back to your train, eh? Want to flee the scene of the crime as soon as you can, eh?" The penguin followed her, meticulously using his magnifying glass to examine her footprints as she walked.

Swiftly, she turned around and picked up the penguin, who was only about ¾ her size. "What do you want?"

"The truth,"

"I didn't steal your stupid star!"

"Okay," Sarah put the Penguin down and watched him pace back and forth. "It seems that I, Pennington, the master detective, have hit a snag in his investigation. It seems that the culprits who stole the missing Garnet Star have escaped! However, I will not end the case of 'The Missing Garnet Star and the Thieves Who Stole it' until I receive it and put those crooks behind bars."

"Garnet Star," The toad, Little T. spoke up. "Isn't that one of the seven Crystal Stars?"

"Indeed, it is said that once all seven of them are brought together miracles can happen and the Thousand Year Door can be opened."

This brought Sarah back into the conversation. "Miracles? Go on,"

"Using my vastly superior detective skills I was able to learn that each of the Seven Crystal Stars contains a great deal of magical power and anyone bestowed with their power can have nearly anything."

"Anything, like my memory?"

"Precisely, though I fear that those X-Nauts are going to use their power for evil instead of good." He looked up to see that Sarah has already charged back to the train, which was sounding its whistle, letting everyone know that it would be leaving soon.

"_The Crystal Stars,"_ Sarah thought. "_Do they really have the power to bring my memory back?"_


	3. End of Prologue: Sarah's Insecurities?

**Author's Note:** _Yeah, I know, I've been really slow with all my stories lately. To be completely honest I only wrote this chapter because I'm having serious issues with chapter 38 of Kingdom Ed: The Beginning. But, I'm actually pleased with how this chapter turned out, which is what worries me. They say that whenever an author is pleased with their work that means that it's actually terrible, so please, once you're done reading this, take the time to tell me how _terrible_ this chapter really is. Okay, without further ado, here is the long awaited new chapter!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: End of Prologue: Sarah's Hidden Insecurities?<strong>

After finishing her work for the day, Sarah went straight to her room and dropped down onto her bed. She didn't have the will to play cards, especially today's earlier events.

"_Those Crystal Stars, can they really bring back my memory."_

Silently, she slipped off her shoes and buried herself under the covers, thinking back to her first day.

_"How did I get here?" Sarah asked, trying to wipe away the stinging feeling she could feel in her eyes_

_"I found you in Cabin 4. I can't explain it but… you were soaking wet, in a puddle of salt water. More bizarre yet, I found out that the puddle of water had come from your lungs."_

_"I was drowning in a train?" _

"_Yes, however, that wasn't even the most surprising part. We tested the water and… we found out that it was forced from your lungs, someone had saved you."_

She tried to close her eyes and sleep, but she couldn't, her mind kept trailing back to the Crystal Stars and their alleged magnificent power. She could leave at any moment, the conductor had told her that, but she couldn't, she already had a nice stable life, why ruin it by going on a ridiculous treasure hunt for stars whose abilities very well could've been a fairy tale. Then she kept thinking about what they _could_ do, maybe, if she collected them, she could finally regain her long lost memory. She longed to recall her past, the house she grew up in, her family, heck, if she could even remember a few of her friends she'd be happy.

She weighed her options, leaving behind her already stable, new, life or going out to collect powerful objects to recall the life she once had. It was a tough decision, but as much as it pained her to leave everyone, she had to go. The train's next stop would be at a port town named Rogueport; they'd arrive in two days time.

The next day she did her work as usual. It was weird, the daily wind and grind she had come to accept as normality seemed different, more bittersweet in a way. She dutifully did her chores with much more pep and, at night, after nearly the entire train had gone to sleep, she stayed up extra late to play a few rounds of cards with her friends.

"So," The Cheep-Cheep stated as he dropped his deck of cards onto the table. "What game do you guys want to play?"

Sarah and Wait T. looked at each other, giving each other a look as if they knew what the other was going to say.

"Blackjack," they simultaneously said.

Sarah was going to miss that, in her three weeks as a worker aboard the Excess Express she had crafted an unbreakable bond with both the toad and the Cheep-Cheep. She was going to miss them the most.

They spent the next hour mindlessly chatting with one another about various things, just as the last game finished and the three were preparing to head back to their rooms Sarah felt her cheeks get moist with tears, she was crying profusely.

"Sarah, what's…"

"Wrong?" The waitress quickly pulled out a napkin from her pocket and gave it to the girl who promptly used it to dry her leaking eyes and nose.

"N-nothing, I'm just a little overwhelmed with everything."

"Do you want me to whip up something to help get better?" He valiantly lifted up his spatula and flailed it in the air, making both girls laugh.

Sarah used her sleeve to further dry her face. "I'll, um, I'll see you guys tomorrow," her voice cracked as she said that.

"Okay, see…"

"You later."

"G'bye"

They all went their separate ways. Sarah didn't have the heart to tell them that she was leaving.

The next morning Sarah woke up exceptionally early, she was back in her street clothes. The few belongings she had were neatly packed in a small green backpack. Slowly she stepped out of her room. The air in the train's empty hallway felt different. It felt especially quiet considering the fact that they hadn't stopped yet. She quietly walked to the front of the train to meet the conductor, who had told her to talk to him before she left. She quickly reached the control room, sliding open the door and treading inside, solemnly.

"Um, conductor…"

"Oh, Sarah," he turned around and smiled. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes sir,"

"Okay, there's something I wanted to give you." He led her back outside the control room and walked down the train. "I've arranged for you to stay at an inn in Rogueport for a few days, just so you can figure out what you're going to do."

"Okay, thanks."

"I hope you know," he turned his head and smiled. "You can come back anytime you want, always remember that the Excess Express is your home."

He continued walking, eventually stepping through the door leading to the storage cart of the train. Sarah could hear him rummage through various carts and boxes before he stepped out, grasping a long wooden lacrosse stick. The head of the stick was latticed with neon pink nylon while the handle had a beautifully carved out picture that molded easily with the picturesque, almost magical quality of the wood. The red-head uneasily grabbed it. "Doesn't this belong to…"

"Nope," he shot back without missing a beat. "Somebody left this here a few years back and never came back to get it. I know it's not much, but you could use it to defend yourself."

Sarah gulped as the conductor continued.

"The world's a dangerous place, but you're a strong girl. I know you will be able to handle yourself."

"Thank you," she tried to say more but she couldn't put her feelings into words. She was so grateful; he had helped her out so much.

"Here, you should also keep this." He reached into his and pulled out a laminated card. Sarah grabbed it and looked on it, it was her new ID Card. Her name and picture was neatly printed on it, next to her first name was the word "Scarlet".

"What, why's this word here? That's not my last name."

"Oh, that." He peered at the card. "IDs these days require that your have your first and last name, and since you couldn't remember your surname I decided to make your last name 'Scarlet'. Doesn't it have a nice ring to it?"

"Y-yeah." Somehow the name felt wrong, almost as if it wasn't her last name at all, though she felt grateful anyway and held the conductor in a hug. "Thank you."

The sun still hadn't risen yet when the train arrived at Rogueport. After making one last farewell to the conductor Sarah walked off the platform, and walked far enough that the train was out of sight, then she sat on a bench and waited. She stayed at that one spot for the rest of the day and she didn't stand up until she heard the trains gears begin to shift and pull the vehicle away. It wasn't until she couldn't hear the train's familiar rumble that she stood up again, securing her Lacrosse Stick and backpack.

She pulled out a crumbled piece of paper and stared at the words neatly printed on it, it was the address to the Inn she was set to stay in for the next few days. With one last breath she folded it back into her pocket and went on her way.

Several nights had gone by, and Sarah still hadn't received any information on the fabled Crystal Stars. Today was her last night at the Inn, and if she couldn't get any leads or scrape up enough money she would have to live on the streets. As usual, the girl exited the building and sat herself down onto the cold, jagged cement that formed the sidewalk. She looked at the dirty, grimy buildings that obstructed her view of the sky. Then she looked at the sidewalk, they were infested with trash and mold. The Inn building was the only thing that looked even remotely nice in the town, though even that wasn't exactly a compliment.

She had looked everywhere in that scummy town already for clues to the whereabouts of the stars, though she couldn't find anyone who knew anything. She slumped down and began to think about where to look next, and then it hit her. Why was she going on such a fruitless chase? Why had she acted on impulse and went on a quest to find objects whose power was only rumored? She looked at the people who mindlessly walked before her. They were all on their way, going ahead and getting on with their lives. Why couldn't she go on with _her_ life? A small conversation brought her out of her trance.

"So, I totally just stole this sucker's money," Sarah was drawn into the conversation that was taking place between the two similarly robed men. They both wore long, loose hoodies that came over their faces and sagged down to below their knees. One of their most surprising features was that they had round, flat masks tied around their heads, though unlike a regular mask, this one constantly moved like a real face, showing their lip movements and facial emotions. She didn't know what species they were as she had never seen any of their kind on the Excess Express.

"No way, how much did you get?" The other man asked with a devilish grin on his face.

"Only like, five coins, but it was totally worth it, dude."

They glanced at Sarah, more specifically her backpack, as they passed by. Then they whispered to each other about something and walked by at a much faster pace.

"What was up with that?"

A sudden chill went up Sarah's spine; maybe she should leave and look around some more. Yeah, that'd be the best course of action.

With that, she readjusted her backpack and walked across the street. She had already checked the Library and found nothing but a few scattered footnotes about the Crystal Stars. Then she checked the Pub and asked the bar clerk, only to be told the _same_ scattered stories about it. She later asked a group of small, preschool age children and again, she got the _same_ story. Damn it, she didn't care if Rogueport sunk about a thousand years ago because of the Crystal Stars' power, all she wanted was the location of at least _one_ of the stars, was that so hard to ask for?

She wandered around again, asking the occasional pedestrian if they knew anything about the stars. And when a few of them acted rude and/or smarmy with her, she punched them square in the face, or rather, she felt strongly inclined to.

By late noon she had already given up. With nothing gained but her newfound hate for the lacking knowledge and overall insincerity of Rogueport's residents, she found herself trudging back to the Inn. Why, she thought, did she _ever_ think that leaving the one place she could remember as home behind was a good idea? Maybe… Just maybe, it would be best to go back to the train and live out her days until she could remember her past, naturally. "This whole thing was just stupid," she muttered to herself as she kicked aside an empty can. She turned away, the train would be arriving again tomorrow, hopefully she could find her way back on and –.

She felt a rush a wind rush past her and suddenly her backpack was gone, the only thing that was left was her Lacrosse Stick, which she kept strapped to her back. "What the," she whipped back to see the two masked men from earlier, running away on their short, stubby legs as fast as they could. The one that wasn't clutching her backpack stopped momentarily, sticking out a tongue almost mockingly before snickering and running again to join his comrade.

Sarah, growled before charging towards them. Almost instinctually she grabbed onto her 'racket' as she had decided to call it. They were gonna get it; she'd make sure of that.

She quickly caught up to them, the thieves' fast movements obviously couldn't be kept up for long as she could see both of them panting before too much time could pass.

"Give… Me… Back… My… Backpack!" Sarah screamed between breaths. She swung her racket, hitting the thief that wasn't holding her bag and causing him to fall, painfully, face first onto the ground. That just left the other thief. With a sudden burst of agility he managed to jump atop the low roof of a building. Sarah, still fuming, followed, chasing the man from rooftop to rooftop. Finally, they both found themselves atop a ten story building. With no other buildings to escape to, besides the one that was directly behind Sarah, the thief found himself in a dead end. He backed away, nervously, to the edge, looking down just as he felt his back press against the solid concrete railing. He whipped his head back up with a grin. With one final movement he jumped off.

"What," Sarah scurried to the edge, watching the thief grab onto a rogue clothes line and swing away, far from view. She had lost him.

It was at this moment that her intense anger subsided, only to be replaced by equally intense feelings of sorrow. She put her back against the railing and buried her face into her knees, the denim of her jeans getting wet with salty tears. She couldn't even make it out on her own without something terrible happening, maybe she should just go back to her sheltered life on the Excess Express.

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><p><strong><span>Author's Note: <span>**_Yeah, I always thought Sarah would be good at Lacrosse. Anyway, please take the time to review, I always love to hear feedback from my fans and flames._


	4. Head to Petal Meadows!

**Author's Note: **_So, I actually finished a chapter on schedule, huh, go figure. Anyway, the story is really going to get rolling now so, without futher ado, here we go!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: The Beginning of a Journey: Head to Petal Meadows!<strong>

Sarah picked up whatever belongings she had remaining and left the Inn without a word the next morning. If she remembered correctly, the Excess Express would stop at Rogueport today at 3 o' clock, and it was already two in the afternoon. As soon as she stepped out the door to the Inn she tightly grasped her racket which she would use to bash anyone who even attempted to rob her again. She'd be damned if she would let someone take any of the small scraps she had left from her, especially after yesterday's events.

One more hour, just one more and she'd be back to her old life back on the train, with the only people she could call her friends.

Sarah took a deep breath and went on her way, crossing the crime-ridden eastern side of Rogueport to the peaceful, upper middle class section on the western side of the town. Now that she knew she could keep her guard down, she tied her stick onto her back again and lost herself in her thoughts.

Stupid, she was so very stupid, leaving her only job and home behind to follow a fairy tale. Oh well, she reasoned, at least she could go back to her simpler life on the train.

Before she knew it she was on the train's waiting platform, without a moment's notice she sat down on a nearby bench and waited. She took the time to pull herself together and try to remember her past. Once again, all she could remember was that stinging sensation in her eyes that moment she had woken up and the bright flash of light directly before. Just what had that light been? A memory from her home, the sun perhaps?

It all didn't make sense; the conductor had told her that he found her lying down in one of the rooms with a puddle of salt water surrounding her. Just how had that water gotten there? Had someone tried to murder her, or maybe it was an honest mistake, even so, why would they leave her there on that train, alone?

More chilling yet, the conductor told her that she wasn't supposed to be on the train. Someone had simply dropped her there.

She didn't want to think about it anymore, in the long run she'd regain her memories and learn what truly happened on that fateful day.

Before she knew it a sudden sound caught her attention, the whirring of mechanical gears gliding across iron rails. She whipped her head to the right to see a familiar black train heading towards the platform. Sarah's eyes shot open as she stood up. It was here, her home.

Sarah walked closer to the edge, rocking back and forth impatiently as the train slowly skidded to a complete stop. She saw the train's door slide open and she slowly moved forward until-

"Sarah!"

Wham!

A blur of white charged out of the train and collided with Sarah, causing her to fall backwards to the ground.

"Sarah, it's you!" The familiar voice squealed out, and Sarah opened her eyes to see the Toad from Poshley Heights, Little T. "I can't believe it's you, me and Pennington were looking all over for you, and then we found out that you worked on the train and we totally got tickets so we could talk to you, but the conductor told us you left so," he lifted his head questioningly to look at Sarah who had a furious look on anger pasted on her face. "Why do you look mad?"

She didn't answer; instead she grabbed the Toad by the wrists and flung him away with all her strength. "That hurt you lummox, why'd you do that for?" She slowly stomped towards him, cracking her hands in an intimidating manner.

"Um… Sarah, what are you doing," he cracked a forced smile, one that was intended to mask a look of pure, unparalleled fear. With a nervous squeal he stepped back against the metal railing, clamping it with his stubby fingers for support. "I-I… I'm not afraid of you!" _"I totally am,"_ he thought, the look of unbridled rage on Sarah's face alone could reduce a full grown lion into a kitten.

"Who the heck just charges out of a train like that, huh?" She asked, pounding one fist into an open palm; Little T. secretly wondered if she could crush rocks with that monstrous strength.

She took one step closer and pulled and arm back, preparing to punch the Toad right in the face, and she was about to, until—

"Ah, Miss Sarah, are you doing well?"

Another familiar voice caused Sarah to glance back, she sighed as she saw the detective penguin stride off the train, onto the platform, with his recognizable magnifying glass held in a flipper.

"Oh, it's _you!"_ The girl wailed out in exasperation as she seemingly forgot her pervious stint of anger with the toad.

"Yes, it's me, Pennington: Master Detective!" He held his magnifying glass the air, reflecting a glow of sunlight into Sarah's eyes. "I see that word of my arrival has brought you, a fan, here."

Sarah simply stood in disbelief. No, there was _no_ way he was being serious; he had to be joking, right?

Wrong.

"Here you go," He scribbled a name onto a sleeve of paper and handed it to the red head, who simply crumpled it and tossed it behind her without a word.

"What," she asked, crossing her arms in distain. "What could you possibly want?"

"Yes, I seem to have found a lead to the case of 'The Missing Garnet Star and the Thieves Who Stole it.'"

"I told you," Little T. chided. "That's an awful name for a mystery!"

"Anyway, ahem, you see, it seems a star, similar in shape and makeup to my Garnet Star, was found in the possession of a group of children in an area to the east of Rogueport called Petal Meadows and… hey, where're you going?"

He watched as Sarah walked past him, stepping aboard the train without a word.

"S-Sarah, wait!" he pulled the girl back outside while Little T. guarded the entryway to make sure she didn't go back inside.

"I don't have time for this! I'm going back," She pushed the penguin aside and took a step forward, only to be stopped by a pair of fluffy flippers grabbing onto her ankles.

"No, no," he grunted as he tried with all his might to pull her back.

By now, the three had started quite a scene, as many of the onlookers were staring at the three with confused and somewhat amused faces. Sarah blushed at the embarrassment of the situation, though the two males didn't seem to care about the attention.

"You're embarrassing me!" Sarah attempted to kick the penguin off, though to no avail.

"Little T., do something!"

The Toad glanced around, unsurely. What exactly did Pennington expect him to do? "Um… Um… Okay…" He charged forward and clamped onto Sarah's other ankle.

"Let go!" Sarah screamed and kicked, though none of them let go of her legs. She glanced at the surrounding people again. They were still staring, _all of them_. "Stop it!"

"Only if you stop," Little T. shouted.

"Okay!" With that she stood still and the two who were clamped to her ankles let go and stood up again. She glanced at the surrounding people again with shy eyes to see that they were still eyeing her. "Well, there's nothing to see here, you can go," she commanded, they immediately all went back to walking around; resuming whatever activities they were taking part in previously. "So, um…" Embarrassment, and a slight tinge of anger still coated her words. "What were you saying earlier?"

"Yes," Pennington gurgled while readjusting his bowtie. "You see, a star, similar to the one that was stolen from me was seen being carried off by a group of children in Petal Meadows."

"And since you seemed interested in the Crystal Stars we thought you could go with us!" Little T. added. "You want to come? It'll be really fun!"

Sarah distrustfully raised an eyebrow. "No." That was her answer, there was literally no way in Hell she'd go on a journey again for something in a fairy tale; and if they thought she'd go on a limb to travel with those two… lunatics, they'd be crazy, well, crazier then she had already made them out to be.

"B-But, you wanted to find out about them, right?"

"Nope." Her eyes wandered, eventually landing on a garbage can that she found much more interesting then her current conversation; hopefully those idiots would leave her alone so she could go back on the train.

"Yes, well," Pennington reached into his satchel, pulling out a poorly folded piece of paper, "I guess the criminal who stole the Garnet Star wouldn't want to travel alongside a detective, eh?" He unfolded the paper to show a poorly drawn picture. In the center of the picture was a thick yellow line (A pedestal?) with a garnet colored blob (The Crystal Star?). Next to it was a crudely drawn figure with overly long orange hair. The figure had long, skinny arms grabbing onto the blob, and a greedy, almost scary look could be seen on the figure's face. Directly under the figure's body was a name drawn in messy ink, **"Cera,"**

"T-That's not how you spell my name…" Sarah couldn't find the words to describe how just plain awful the picture was drawn, it looked like a monkey had drawn that, and she was putting it modestly.

"My cameras caught you stealing the star yourself."

"That's not a photo, you idiot! Someone just drew that themselves, and _that_ looks nothing like me!"

"Yes it does," Little T. spoke up, holding a blue crayon in his hands. "I spent all night drawing that!"

They were ridiculous, and crazy, and bizarre, and cracked, and preposterous, and… And crazy! They couldn't be serious, _nobody _could possibly be that idiotic, but here she was standing in front of two insane… _Things._

She shook her head again, her eyes wondering once more. It was then that she saw another familiar figure, one that she actually wanted to see, or rather, beat up and/or tear to shreds. The Thief. Without a moment's notice she sprung away, stopping only when she was a few feet from the mask clad thief.

"Hey, you!" Sarah pulled out her racket, grabbing onto it with two hands; one at the base and the other halfway up.

She took notice of her bag which was strapped securely to his back; it was still half empty which meant that he hadn't taken anything out. Why?

"Give my stuff back!"

"No way, sucker!" With that, the thief sprinted off towards the eastern side of town.

"You come back here, I'll show you!" Sarah sprinted after, leaving both Little T. and Pennington behind.

"Hey," the toad turned to the penguin. "Shouldn't we follow her?"

"Y-Yes, we mustn't let the criminal escape. " With that, they too bolted out.

Meanwhile Sarah continued chasing after the thief who pushed carts and boxes in her way in an effort to slow her down. Needless to say, his plan didn't work; instead of Sarah having to run around or jump over the debris, she simply charged through the obstacles like a rampaging boar.

"What the heck," the thief panted. "I gotta lose her," He reached into Sarah's bag, mid-chase, and pulled out a small stack of papers. "This'll do just nicely," the thief chuckled. He threw the papers into the air and, like he predicted, Sarah slowed down considerably to catch them.

"It's my I.D," Sarah said as she examined the papers. She looked at them almost disappointedly until she realized that she had let the thief get ahead. Frantically, she shoved the papers into her pocket and resumed the chase. By now he was only a small dot in her vision due to the immense distance, though she kept running anyway. If she could just find out where he was going maybe she could still have a chance to get her stuff back.

She ran and ran, she kept going until the houses and people were replaced by trees, rolling, endless hills of grass and dirt paths. Just how far had she run?

"Come… back… here…" Sarah pleaded, by now she was on her last breath, and she dropped to the ground in fatigue. With one final look up she couldn't see him anymore, he had escaped, _again._

She took a look around, all she could see was a flat expanse of land. Instead of buildings and skyscrapers, the horizon was lined by huge, blue-green mountains she could swear had little dotted eyes. The sweet fragrance of fresh flowers wafted into her nose, refreshing her mind and almost rejuvenating her spirit. Rogueport was nowhere to be seen, had she really run that far without stopping?

"Sarah!"

It was Little T.'s voice again; _almost_ surprisingly she turned to see the young Toad running in her direction.

"What… do you… want," she said between breaths.

"A-are you tired already? Come on, I thought you were really strong, don't be such a girl, it wasn't that bad."

Sarah felt compelled to smack him at that moment, but her lack of energy convinced her not to. "Where's… where's the penguin?"

"Oh, Pennington," Little T. raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, he was right behind me a second ago."

* * *

><p>"Oh, oh dear," Pennington gasped for air as he literally dragged himself across the dirt roads. He had lost Little T. nearly ten minutes ago in the chase. "N-no matter, I, Pennington… Master… Detective… shall catch up!"<p>

* * *

><p>Almost an hour later, the three were back together, contemplating what to do next.<p>

"The next time I see that thief, I'm gonna rip him to pieces!" Sarah grabbed a nearby leaf and tore it up to demonstrate. "He's gonna wish he never stole from me!"

"Yes, and I bet we'll run into those munchkins who were seen with the Crystal Star too, and so the case of 'The Mission Garnet Star and the Thieves Who Stole it' continues!"

"Yeah, we'll show them." Little T. said in an overly peppy and somewhat obnoxious voice.

Sarah meanwhile turned away to look at the lay of the land. Oh well, at least she was doing what she first set out to do, she figured. Even if she had to travel with those two lunatics for a bit. She looked at the two boys, both of them goofing off in their own way. They were weirdoes, and that was putting it much too mildly, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

**The Start of a long journey awaits...**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>_ Okay, and with that the Petal Meadows Arc begins. Expect someone to join them by the halfway mark, and, with all of my stories, expect many, many twists._

_Also, I have something for you people who have read both this story and Kingdom Ed: The Beginning. On my author page is a poll that asks you guys if you like this writing style or the style in my other fic. Of course, I **won't** change the writing style of either of them depending on what answers I get, I'm just curious is all._

_Also, with the start of this chapter comes a new section that'll regularly be a part of my _**Author's Notes...**

**Did you know that...** Little T. was originally a character who sent Mario a letter in the original Paper Mario game?


	5. Thwomp Fortress

**Chapter 5: Thwomp Fortress**

Her traveling partners were idiots, Sarah decided as they reached the wooden fence of a small town called Petalburg. They had taken a rest the night before out in the field before setting out that morning and Sarah took notice of the annoying habits the other two had.

Little T. would talk –no, shout and fight- in his sleep. Last night, she had heard so many "Kiai"s and battle screams from the sleeping toad that she felt as if she was sleeping in a 24 hour karate dojo. Then, to make matters worse, he woke up early in the morning. Sarah was used to waking up at 5 or 6 a.m to do her job on the Excess Express, but Little T., the little freak that he was, woke her up at 4 o'clock to do a training exercise. She made sure she gave him a good knock to the head after that.

Pennington was worse. Unlike the toad, he refused to sleep without a flashlight turned on and in his hands. And even then, he would jerk upright after any little sound to check around the clearing. "I'm protecting all of you from the bugaboos that lurk the fields at night," he boasted the next morning, though both Sarah and Little T. didn't believe a word he said.

Either way, she was glad that little trip was over and done with. According to Pennington, the thief from earlier had headed eastward, and since this was the only town for miles and miles in that general direction, it was a safe bet that he would stop here.

"Welcome to Petalburg!" A Koopa, which was a creature that strongly resembled a turtle that stood on its hind legs, gleefully jumped in front of them. "It's so nice that we're finally getting visitors now that Hooktail is gone."

Little T. put on a puzzled expression. "Hook… tail? You mean that legendary dragon from the story?"

The Koopa shrugged, but kept his bright and cheerful expression. "I guess so, but a group of about 6 people, one of them a citizen from this town, managed to defeat the beast. Excuse me if I ask," He said, looking at Sarah. "But a boy in a red cap came by just a few days ago, telling me that he had been separated from his friends. You fit one of his descriptions, would you happen to know who he is?"

Sarah's eyes widened. Boy in a red cap? Could he know about her past, about where she lived, about her friends? Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but Little T. stepped forward to talk instead. "Sarah has amnesia, and she can't remember anything about her life before she woke up on a train. Any idea where this guy is?"

"No, when he came here and heard that a few humans had helped defeat Hooktail down at his castle, he stormed there looking for clues, but he never came back. Other than that, I'm afraid I don't have any other information about him."

Sarah huffed. He was probably miles away by now, and the chance that she'd ever see him… She didn't want to even think about it.

"We're also looking for a ruffian, a Bandit, who went running towards this town." Pennington reached into the satchel and pulled out a crumbled piece of paper. After a futile attempt to smooth out the rumpled paper, he showed it to the Koopa who put on a questioning look. While the picture wasn't nearly as bad as Little T.'s previous "portrait" of Sarah, it was still awkward enough that the turtle wondered if the penguin was mentally insane.

"Um…" The Koopa put his hand to his chin. "I'm not really sure what it is that you're looking for, but there's a local gang that takes residence in the Thwomp Fortress just outside of town. Maybe you can find the person you're looking for there."

Oh, that was right; Sarah still had a score to settle with that twerp. She mentally listed off 5 ways –no, make that 6 ways- she would mangle that Bandit's awkward body. The town was small, and just beyond it was -7 ways- a small forest. The trees however, weren't very tall, so just beyond one of the tree's peaks she could see -8 ways- what she assumed was the fortress's stone roof.

"Alright, thanks." Little T. chuckled and jumped forwards. "Come on, guys. Let's go!"

* * *

><p>With a passing shrug, both Sarah and Pennington followed the youngling to the castle.<p>

"Wow," Sarah couldn't help but gasp as she took her first few steps inside the fortress. The place was dark and musty, just as she had expected, but what had surprised and amazed her were the humongous spiky stone blocks that floated overhead. She had never seen _anything_ like that on the Excess Express and it amazed her how much of this world she had missed by not ever exploring around.

"B-b-b-be c-careful." Pennington gulped, his flashlight grasped tightly in his shaky hand. "N-never fear." Something from further inside the fortress dropped, sending a loud sound echoing through the chamber. In shock, he let out a girlish shrill and jumped behind Sarah, haphazardly pointing his light towards the walls.

"Idiot," Sarah scoffed, walking away from the paranoid detective. She reached for her back, pulling out her racket that she kept in a protective sleeve. The fortress was dark, but if anyone thought they'd get her by surprise, they'd be promptly whacked into next week.

The corridor ended with a large wooden door, and Little T. wasted no time in stepping forward and kicking the door open with a loud battle cry. However, upon seeing that the next room was completely dark, he stared on hesitantly. Slowly, he looked to Sarah, who stood behind him with an impatient look on her face and crossed arms. "Uh… ladies first."

"And boneheads last." Without missing a beat, she pushed him aside and stormed ahead, racket ready for anything they might encounter in the darkness. Little T. and Pennington scurried close behind.

They walked in the darkness for what seemed to be a few minutes. Pennington's flashlight was flickering on and off, a consequence of him leaving it on all throughout last night.

"Something just touched my foot."

"Sorry."

Suddenly, the little light they did have to help them navigate through the dark corridor flickered, and then, with a quiet, burning sizzle, went out for good.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, the flashlight's gone."

"Give me that." Sarah managed to take the flashlight away from the penguin and gave it a hard whack. In that instant, the light flickered on one last time, briefly showing one of the spiky blocks that Sarah had seen earlier, on the ground with eyes open.

The next thing they knew, the ground shook violently and the entire room, which turned out to be much smaller than they had initially thought, lit up. Right on the wall directly ahead of them, was the stone block that Sarah had seen just a few seconds ago. It stared at them with pitch black eyes, its facial expression showing nothing but anger.

"Who dares disturb the guardian Thwomp of Thwomp Fortress," the creature bellowed.

The three turned towards each other, questioningly, unsure of what exactly they should say to the towering stone block.

"If you wish to pass, you must first make it past my trial!" The block's mouth made cracking noises as it spoke, prompting Sarah to believe that it hadn't spoken to another living soul in years.

"So it's a fight you want, huh?" Little T. charged forward and his fist connected with the Thwomp, making a painful cracking sound the moment the attack made contact. "What the hell!" Little T. fell to his knees, clutching his throbbing right hand with his left. "This thing is made out of stone!"

"Relax, tiny being. My trial does not require you to fight for survival. Instead…" His body rose into the air and slammed down. Suddenly, the walls peeled away as if they were paper, and the trio found themselves behind a blue and black pedestal in a neon lit room. Bright lights shone on them from above, and Sarah could've sworn that she heard chattering from somewhere.

"Are those…" Pennington shielded his eyes from the harsh lights above. "… People?" He observed the crowd that stood below them, and then at the 4 colored buttons on the pedestal's top; one red, one green, one yellow, and the last one purple.

"I welcome you to Thwomp's spectacular, Thwomp Fortress Quizzical Gameshow!" The Thwomp, in celebration of this _momentous and exciting_ event was now adorned with a yellow bowtie and bright blue party hat, though his face looked just as bored and angry as before. "Today, folks, we have three new competitors. I would like to introduce Sarah, Little T. and Pennington!"

The people in the crowd below cheered and whistled at the three, all of whom questioned how this many people had gotten into the Fortress without them noticing.

"Now, without further ado, let's let the game begin! First question: In the original Paper Mario, what did Bowser steal from the Shine Sprites up in Star Haven? Was it, A) The Star Rod, B) The Staff of Wishful Thinking, C) Supreme Shark or D) A Pool Cue?"

Sarah put a hand to her chin. Original Paper Mario? What the hell was this guy talking about?

Little T. slammed his hand down on the red button, which had an "A" painted on it. "I don't know what you mean by the 'Original Paper Mario,' but I _do_ know that Bowser took the Star Rod a few years back!"

"Correct!" The Thwomp tried it's best to sound excited, but it sounded more like he was reading from a bland script.

Sarah smirked. Great, with Little T.'s knowledge about this world, the rest of this game show would be a cinch. She gave him an acknowledging look and waited for the Thwomp to speak once more.

"Question two: Rita Mordio, from the hit videogame 'Tales of Vesperia,' is best known for which line: A) 'I'm gonna tear you flat,' B) 'Blah Blah Blah Tidal Wave,' C) 'That's _not_ my job, honey,' or D) 'You can't just go around licking people's windows, Clyde!'"

Sarah smirked, yeah; the rest of this quiz would be easy as a Sunday morning.

"Wrong!" The Thwomp slammed down hard on the ground, and a buzzer sounded. Apparently Little T. had chosen the wrong answer. "Remember, if you get three answers wrong, you will be subjected to a fate far worse than death itself!"

"What was that?" Sarah gave Little T. a forceful shove. "I thought you knew all the answers."

"I-I have no idea what Tales of Vesperia even _is_," he stammered.

And so, the next question asked them about the villain of some series called 'Dr. Who,' and when the buzzer sounded and indicated that they had answered wrong once again, Sarah couldn't mutter anything but "Crap."

"You can only get one more question wrong before you are subjected to a fate far worse th-"

"Yeah, yeah," Sarah interrupted. "We know, a 'fate far worse than death itself'" she attempted to mimic the Thwomp's voice. "Just give us the stinking last question!"

"Okay, Question four: In another world lives an author who goes by the name of 'BNVshark,' what is his favorite animal: A) Mongoose, B) Dragon, C) Duck or D) Shark?"

Sarah saw both Pennington and Little T. reach for the purple button that had "D" written on it, but quickly pushed their flipper and hand, respectively, away.

"Idiots, it's _obviously_ a trick question," she shouted. "It's probably the least assuming thing on there." Just then, she slammed her hand on 'C' and the buzzer sounded for the third time.

Crap.

"You have lost." The Thwomp slammed down on the ground once more and the bright neon walls peeled away again, revealing the gray stone of the fortress. "Now…" He rose up into the air, his voice growing more and more menacing. "You will suffer a fate, much, much worse than death itself."

Sarah and Little T. both got into their respective fighting stances while Pennington stood still, shivering.

A doorway behind the Thwomp slid open, and two towering monsters that looked like spiky boulders with eyes and feet crawled out.

"You must now defeat these enemies to pass through. Let's… begin!"

All four fighters charged forwards, beginning what was sure to be a fight of epic proportions.


End file.
